Welcome to another edition of the OrvisNews.com Friday Film Festival, in which we scour the Web for the best fly-fishing footage available. We skipped last week, since it was a holiday for us, but we’re making up for it with a baker’s dozen videos, an all-time high, in this week’s FFF. We’re a little light on the saltwater content here, but if you love trout, this is an incredible smorgasbord of delights—with fish from New Zealand, to Austria, to Iceland, to Montana. I’m especially excited to see some young anglers, college kids and much younger, taking part. Seems we’ve got a pretty engaged generation coming up, which bodes well for the sport. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to all the 2011 FFFs, and we’re looking forward to what we’ll find online in the new year. Remember, we surf so you don’t have to. But if you do stumble upon something great that you think is worthy of inclusion in a future FFF, please post it in the comments below. See you next week with a fresh set of films!
Fly Fishing Montana 2011 from sam amses on Vimeo.
In case you’re wondering why Montana has such a wonderful reputation as a fly-fishing destination, here’s Exhibit A. It’s a compilation of scenes from 2011, which looks like it was a pretty good year.
Living the lucky life from duneis on Vimeo.
A couple of professional skiers sample what The Last Frontier has to offer. This video has lots of great photos, gorgeous scenic shots, and serious dreadlocks. Oh yeah, and some fish, too.
Here’s a cool trailer for an upcoming DVD about fishing in Iceland. Lots of big, open country and some great underwater shots. This looks like it will be a good one, although I’m not sure it’ll be in English.
REDFISH REDEMPTION from Chris Campbell on Vimeo.
This is a really well shot film about chasing tails off Charleston, South Carolina, in lots of different kinds of water. It ends with a real beastie of a redfish, too.
Chasing The Dragon, Fly Fishing for Muskies in Hayward Wisconsin from Nick Seiler on Vimeo.
Speaking of beasties, are you ready for some musky? It’s gotta be a great fish to go through the effort of chucking these monster flies in such snotty weather, right? Right.
Matukituki River from NickJ on Vimeo.
Even in New Zealand, you can run into too many anglers for comfort. So what do you do? Hit the trail on a mountain bike to find your own piece of heaven.
TURD FER YER STOCKING from LO FI FLY on Vimeo.
No story here, just loads and loads of great fish and fly-fishing-lifestyle shots.
The Fish of a Lifetime from Wesley Dean Photography on Vimeo.
This is a pleasant little film about a group of guys from the Appalachian State University fly-fishing club who head for the big water of the South Holston river for some late-fall fun.
Downstream ~ Testing Trout from Dave Barrett on Vimeo.
Here’s another trailer, this one for an upcoming film called Downstream, which looks to figure some great bug shots and plenty of trout action.
Fliegenfischen in Österreich / FlyFishing Austria – Taurach from Trout-Stalking on Vimeo.
It takes this one a little time to get going, but when it does, it features some excellent small-stream action from the mountains of Austria. Man, is that water clear.
Sleep, Dreams, and Birthday Donuts from Yukon Goes Fishing on Vimeo.
Ivan, of Yukon Goes Fishing, is making the most of the mild winter in Montana, catching some sweet brown and rainbows, plus enjoying the giant birthday donut.
It’s really great to see some young anglers getting into making videos, and these guys have clearly studied the genre. They’ve got set-up shots, walking shots, and the all-important strike shots. Add the underwater footage and streamside foliage, and you’ve got the makings of a hot property. I hope to see a lot more from these youngsters.
Right Hook: A Tall Tail from Peter Rowe on Vimeo.
I’m going to present this one without comment. Please offer your opinion in the comments below. Have a great weekend and a Happy New Year!